A Stack of Dishes

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Delicate Chèvre Ravioli & Marching Onward

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 Goat Cheese Raviolo- A Stack of Dishes

This week it feels like Spring has taken a hop, skip and a giant leap into Summer. During my walk yesterday I overheard a child say to her Mother, “It’s Summer now, when is school over?” It was one of those moments when your insides laughed with recognition- Yes, it feels like it is time to play, Can I? Can I?

Ironically for me school IS over. Tuesday afternoon, with misty eyes, I donned cap and gown and received my Masters diploma. Many years in the past I got the spark of a notion to return to school, which turned into a thought, which turn into an action, and then finally to completion. 

graduationI am a woman with many satisfying moments of accomplishments- winning awards, giving birth, finishing marathons and triathlons, slipping an engagement ring onto my love’s hand- all momentous, and rich with emotion.  My experience this week has been quite different. When the days of unscrewing my brain and pouring in copious knowledge was complete, when the research and writing were done, and all deadlines were met, I was left with a sense of satisfaction and knowing that I had worked long and hard to create this thing- this bounty of knowledge and passion- and I cried.  My tears were of happiness, relief, release and awe.

I did it.

A Stack of Dishes.com

I share this with you because I want you to know that there is this gift that awaits you at the end of a long haul if you choose to strive for it. We are all faced with obstacles, doubts, responsibilities and distractions, but it can be done. It’s cliche, but it’s true, that the first step is the hardest. Big decisions often require big changes, and inertia is the gnarliest demon I know. [Read more…] about Delicate Chèvre Ravioli & Marching Onward

An Announcement and a Sneak Peek: Blogger Spotlight and A Healthy Hunger

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Screen Shot 2013-05-15 at 5.26.58 PMScreen Shot 2013-05-15 at 5.26.28 PMThis past Friday, I was honored with being chosen by Food Network’s Healthy Eats to be the latest choice for their Blogger Spotlight.  I owe much thanks to Toby Amidor who introduced me to Lauren Miyashiro at The Food Network, and for all her amazing support.

This column on the Healthy Eats website is a place where they champion bloggers who may or may not have a background in nutrition, but who have definitely been impacted by the healing qualities of food. Some of the previous bloggers are quite remarkable. So if you take a minute and click on over and check it out, you might learn a few things about me you may not have known before, and discover a few other remarkable writers.

One thing you might learn about is the Summer launch of my new business: A Healthy Hunger.com. This is the place where I will bring together my scientific knowledge of nutrition, and my passion for delicious eating. I will be offering weekly menus that are designed specifically for two different audiences. The first is Diabetic Friendly- designed for those who have been diagnosed with the disease, or may have pre-diabetes or insulin resistance. The second is Clean Eating- which is for anyone who wants to eat healthier in general and doesn’t know where to start.

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We are looking for the launch in August (perhaps sooner). I am super excited about this and busy building pages and pages of health information, cooking tips, time and money saving tips, support and insight into gaining a healthy lifestyle, and, of course, some beautiful and delicious recipes.

{BTW- if you head over now and sign up for the mailing list I will send you a FREE 3 month trial subscription– with no obligation}

So lots of good news around here-

Please stay tuned, and please sign up for your free trial!

 

Food Bloggers Against Hunger: Can you eat well on $4 a day?

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No Kid Hungry, Share our Strength, low budget meal

 

Today I am joining about 200 other food bloggers to bring awareness to a growing problem in our country- Hunger.

Were you like me? The first time I heard that so many children in our country were hungry I thought- but aren’t we fighting childhood obesity? Where are the hungry children?

The answer is that they are often one in the same.

FBAH_Logoae221668e3afDuring my first semester as a Masters student in Nutrition at Columbia we had to live on a Food Stamp (now called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program- SNAP) budget for a full week. In those days it was $3/day per person- $21 for an entire week of groceries. Since then the allotment has gone up a dollar a day- but so has the number of participants who rely on food stamps to feed themselves week after week. The last study showed that here has been about a 50% rise in the number of people relying on SNAP since the economic downturn. As a result of Hurricane Sandy the numbers are expected to rise again.

 

 

How does Hunger lead to Obesity?

One of the first things you realize when you go to the supermarket, that there are a whole lot of foods that you just cannot afford to buy. Hunger is a terrible companion, so any way to make those dollars stretch you’re going to do it. Fruits and fresh vegetables are quite costly, but rice, pasta, chips, cakes and breads can go a long way. It’s hard to justify 80 cents for a single apple when you can get a huge bag of chips for not much more.

Obesity is not necessarily a lack of calories, but a lack of good nutrition.

It may be hard to get your mind around this- but many obese and overweight persons are nutritionally “starving” . Diets that are high in refined starches, added sugars and high in salt can lead to many health issues, including obesity and diabetes.

The High Price of Low Cost Eating

There is a huge cost to poor nutrition- both financially in terms of health care, and socially in terms of raising a generation of healthy minds and bodies. This is one situation where positive input early on can save us from the waterfall of problems later on down the line.

PLEASE take a few minutes to watch this trailer– It is fascinating and amazing- I PROMISE you will enjoy it.

What Can you do NOW? Click once, and then sit in a chair.

Your input can make a huge difference. We like to think that “someone” is going to fix this problem and you are correct- that person is you taking a small action to initiate the change.

Please take one minute- just ONE minute- to head over to this page at NO Kid Hungry: Share our Strength and send a letter to congress. It’s all laid out for you, just fill in the boxes and click to send. After you’ve done that, please come back here and leave me a note saying that you did- I personally want to thank you.

The next thing you can do is sit in a chair. That’s right- just sit there-and watch a movie- A Place at the Table. You can catch it HERE on iTunes.

For more information you can visit  Share our Strength.

Recipes that are budget friendly and healthy

The recipe shown at the top of the page  is both budget friendly and good for you. Please feel free to share this with anyone you think may need it, and here are some other recipes that also fit the bill:

Whole Wheat Pasta with Chicken Sausage and Mushrooms

Polenta Tart with Spinach and Scallions

Quinoa Patties

 

 

Again: Please share with me your hunger experiences, and please let me know that you signed the petition, I want to thank you personally.

 

White Bean Patties with Mexican Corn
This budget friendly recipe is also packed with protein and healthy fiber. You may substitute other beans here too: black beans, kidney beans etc. Serves 4
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491 calories
96 g
1 g
4 g
24 g
1 g
472 g
1562 g
20 g
0 g
2 g
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size
472g
Servings
4
Amount Per Serving
Calories 491
Calories from Fat 35
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 4g
6%
Saturated Fat 1g
4%
Trans Fat 0g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 1g
Cholesterol 1mg
0%
Sodium 1562mg
65%
Total Carbohydrates 96g
32%
Dietary Fiber 16g
62%
Sugars 20g
Protein 24g
Vitamin A
42%
Vitamin C
132%
Calcium
24%
Iron
32%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Does this look wrong?
For the Patties
  1. 3 cups of cooked white beans (2 cans rinsed)
  2. 1/2 cup red bell pepper, about half a pepper, diced
  3. 1/2 cup scallions, sliced, about 3 stalks
  4. 3 cloves garlic, minced
  5. 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  6. 1/4 teaspoon salt
  7. 1 Tablespoon hot sauce
  8. 1/2 cup bread crumbs
  9. Cooking Spray
For the Corn
  1. 1 teaspoon canola oil
  2. 1 jalepeno pepper, minced
  3. 2 cloves garlic, minced
  4. 3 cups frozen corn
  5. 1/4 teaspoon salt
Cilantro cream
  1. 1 cup non fat greek yogurt
  2. 1/2 cup cilantro, minced- about a quarter of a bunch
  3. 1/4 teaspoon salt
Make the Patties
  1. In a large bowl place the beans, and using the back of a large spoon, mash the beans roughly, making a paste but leaving about a quarter un-mashed for texture.
  2. Add the peppers, scallions, garlic, cumin, salt and hot sauce and stir to combine. Then add the breadcrumbs and gently stir to incorporate.
  3. With cleans hands moistened with water, make 8 equal sized patties and set aside.
  4. Heat either a frying pan or grill pan on medium heat and spritz with cooking spray.
  5. Cook the patties until crisp and golden on each side.
For the Corn
  1. In a frying pan warm the oil and then add the garlic and jalepeno. Saute 2 minutes, then add the corn and cook until warmed through, about 3 minutes. Season with salt.
For the Cream
  1. Combine the ingredients in a small bowl and serve with the patties.
Notes
  1. The patties freeze well. Make a double batch and save some for another day.
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calories
491
fat
4g
protein
24g
carbs
96g
more
A Stack of Dishes https://www.astackofdishes.com/
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